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16 Responses to CNN Meteorologist: This ‘Strange Spring’ Where Extremes ‘Become The Norm’ Is The ‘Climate Change We Are Seeing’

“we are starting to see more and more journalists, meteorologists and climate scientists make the connection.”

Such an important point Joe – its hard to ignore the changes in the climate, and this is where climate change will still get acknowledged in the media as its effects play out.

At some time we’ll cross that threshold when climate change will become something the average person starts thinking we have to do something about climate change – now. I don’t know when that will be (years for sure), but with a constant acknowledgement of the effects that people are seeing and experiencing, I know we’re getting closer, which is a good thing.

Maybe we won’t have to wait for the ocean to flood NY and DC to get to the point where the politicians in the US (both parties) are pushed forward by its citizens.

My simplistic take away is more energy in the system, ~1 million Hiros a day, will manifest itself somehow. It is not like humans evolved looking at climatic disruption. I think that may be a big factor in the denier camp. Nothing in past history has primed man to see climate change on such a large rapid scale. There for it cannot be happening. Kind of like looking for mushrooms in the woods. As soon as you see one the rest are all around. Once we accept the fact of climate change, the reality becomes obvious on many facets. Perhaps even mistaking other tufts as mushrooms, but that is a different story and that does not prove mushrooms do not exist!

Ross Douthat in the NYT today ended his defense to Super PAC with this line.
“… look like a case where more money in politics might be just what the democratic process needs.”
My reply:
NOT. The only way that will work is if “We the People” take the profits out of the pollution the commons. Corporations appear apolitical only because they answer to a higher calling. MONEY! Democrat or Republican makes no difference to Corpor/People as long as they do the bidding of the Puppet master. Damn the torpedoes, improve the bottom line. That is no foundation to build a viable economic base in an era of dwindling resources. Look at what we have reaped Ross. Polluted air, water, earth, oceans and food for starters. Stop profits from the pollution of the commons. Humanity deserves nothing less.

Joe wrote: “CNN meteorologist Alexandra Steele said Tuesday that in fact all this extreme weather we are seeing is due to climate change.”

Actually, all this extreme weather we are seeing is not “due to” climate change — it IS climate change. It is “due to” global warming. We call it “extreme weather” now — when we look back at 30 years of it, will call it “climate change”.

If the La Nina years of 2011 and 2012 outbreak of tornadoes is due to climate change then what caused the La Nina year of 1974 super outbreak of tornadoes? Remember that 1974 was in the middle of the global cooling fear.

I learned in the National Weather Service Skywarn class that it is the interaction of cold dry air above and warm moist air below that fuels storms. The normal southern wind off of the Gulf of Mexico was in place. A cold front moved through the area which provided the instability needed for storms to form.

Being a trained storm spotter I received an email that the NWS had forecast the potential for severe weather in North Texas on Monday and Tuesday.

I would appreciate learning what the difference is between a massive outbreak of tornadoes almost 40 years ago and a massive outbreak of tornadoes today.

Climate change defines a change of the global climax state. Global warming or global cooling are the type of state change (plus/minus). And this is possibly why Dr Lovelock chosen an analog model (Daisyworld) to model particular the earth Albedo. Albedo is the main environmental constant when it comes to thermal distribution – when assessing climate states.

I agree tentatively with Peter. Higher CO2 traps heat in the troposphere, warming it and then the land and the oceans. The extra heat changes the climate via all the mechanisms discussed here and elsewhere: more evaporation, higher humidity, ice melt, lower albedo, biosphere changes.

Higher CO2 causes warming, which in turn causes climate change. Not the only way to define it and certainly not the only way to frame it, but correct in a sense.

I really agree with this statement. We all understand that “global warming” is what is causing our climate to change, but it’s a poor term to describe the cause of the recent extremely cold winter in parts of Europe, as just one example.